Anthony Joshua’s former coach, Rob McCracken, has doubled down on his criticism of the heavyweight champion’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
McCracken, who coached Joshua for his first 22 professional fights, said he was “disappointed” with the performance of the British boxer in the 12-round bout in Saudi Arabia last month.
“I was disappointed with the performance,” McCracken told Sky Sports. “I thought he could have done better. I’m not going to lie about it.”
McCracken, who is now the performance director of the British Amateur Boxing Association, said he was surprised by the outcome of the fight.
“I thought Anthony was going to win the fight,” he said. “I thought he was going to be too strong and too powerful for Usyk. But it didn’t turn out that way.”
McCracken said he was impressed with Usyk’s performance and believes the Ukrainian boxer is a “very good fighter”.
“He’s a very good fighter,” McCracken said. “He’s very skilful and he’s got a good engine. He’s a very good boxer.”
McCracken said he was disappointed with Joshua’s performance, but believes the heavyweight champion can still be successful in the future.
“I think Anthony can still be successful,” he said. “He’s still a very good fighter. He’s still got a lot of ability and he’s still got a lot of power. He’s still got a lot of potential.”
McCracken said he believes Joshua needs to make some changes to his training and preparation if he is to be successful in the future.
“He needs to make some changes to his training and preparation,” he said. “He needs to work on his speed and his footwork. He needs to work on his defence and his counter-punching. He needs to work on his overall boxing skills.”
McCracken said he believes Joshua can still be successful in the future, but he needs to make some changes to his training and preparation.
“He needs to make some changes to his training and preparation,” he said. “He needs to work on his speed and his footwork. He needs to work on his defence and his counter-punching. He needs to work on his overall boxing skills.”
McCracken said he believes Joshua can still be successful in the future, but he needs to make some changes to his training and preparation.
“He needs to make some changes to his training and preparation,” he said. “He needs to work on his speed and his footwork. He needs to work on his defence and his counter-punching. He needs to work on his overall boxing skills. He needs to be more consistent in his training and preparation. He needs to be more disciplined and focused. He needs to be more dedicated and committed to his training and preparation.”
McCracken said he believes Joshua can still be successful in the future, but he needs to make some changes to his training and preparation.
“He needs to make some changes to his training and preparation,” he said. “He needs to work on his speed and his footwork. He needs to work on his defence and his counter-punching. He needs to work on his overall boxing skills. He needs to be more consistent in his training and preparation. He needs to be more disciplined and focused. He needs to be more dedicated and committed to his training and preparation. He needs to be more professional in his approach to the sport. He needs to be more focused and determined to succeed.”
